Engelbert Humperdinck, the 76-year-old singer representing Britain at the
Eurovision Song Contest, has become caught up in a row within the BBC over a
programme about the host country of Azerbaijan.

Pity poor Engelbert Humperdinck. The 76-year-old singer already faces the ritual humiliation of a likely ‘nul points’ as Britain’s Eurovision Song Contest entrant. But he now finds himself caught up in an unseemly squabble within the BBC.

While one part of the corporation is tasked with looking after Humperdinck ahead of Saturday’s contest to be broadcast on BBC ONE, the channel’s investigative programme Panorama has been accused of attempting to cause him deep embarrassment.

Last week, a Panorama reporter and film crew ‘ambushed’ Humperdinck as he walked out of an interview with Radio 2 in a BBC recording studio.

Panorama broadcasts “Eurovision’s Dirty Secret” tomorrow night, alleging that Azerbaijan, this year’s host country, has used the contest “as a tool of intimidation”.

The programme makers decided to confront Humperdinck to ask him why he was going and what his views were on human rights in the country.

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They even presented him with a T-shirt, which they wanted him to wear during the contest, emblazoned with the words “Please Release Them”, in reference to political prisoners held in the former Soviet republic. “Please Release Me” is the title of Humperdinck’s most famous song.

Humperdinck remained calm and smiling as he was approached by BBC investigative reporter Paul Kenyon but his entourage, including BBC staff, were furious at the intervention.

The scene will be shown on tomorrow night’s programme despite pleas from other parts of the BBC not to do so.

In a furious exchange of emails seen by The Sunday Telegraph, Chris Hewlett, Humperdinck’s agent, wrote to Mr Kenyon in disgust.

“I wanted to drop you an email and just make very clear how surprised and disappointed we all were that Panorama felt it appropriate to ambush Engelbert Humperdinck on BBC property in order to force a reaction from him, without even giving him the courtesy of time to frame his thoughts” wrote Mr Hewlett,

“As you know Eurovision is a BBC show, and he was invited by the BBC to participate, and we feel that these actions by another BBC team were at best ill-judged.

“The brandishing of a T-shirt depicting a prisoner and the legend “please release me” seems incredible.”

Mr Hewlett said Humperdinck had already made his views known in email correspondence and the decision to approach him was unnecessary.

Mr Hewlett concludes: “We believe that this footage therefore should not constitute part of your final edit as it was gained by acting in bad faith – to Engelbert, to us and also to BBC Radio 2 who unwittingly facilitated this.

"I am certain we’d all be interested in your response to this disappointing episode.”

In a second email to Panorama’s editor Tom Giles, Jackie Gill, who handles Humperdinck’s press relations, accused the BBC of a “student type political moment with a T-shirt”.

Ms Gill added: “You must put out a news story that you feel you must broadcast but do you really need to use Engelbert and abuse him in this way when he is obviously backing Britain and at this moment at the BBC’s bequest (or so we think) and backing going to Baku as a result of this.”

The Panorama investigation will highlight human rights abuses in Azerbaijan, which is hosting the competition having won it last year.

The programme will tell the tale of one local who was detained and questioned after last year’s televised programme just for voting for Azerbaijan’s neighbour and long-standing enemy Armenia.